Chapter 138 Are Demons a Renewable Resource?: The Demon Realm has been rather unsettled lately, not because the human cultivators next door are acting strangely again. ...

The Demon Realm has been rather unsettled lately, not because the human cultivators next door are acting strangely again.

The main unrest originated from the palace of the Demon Lord. The palace, which had been quiet for hundreds of years, has recently been filled with constant rumbling sounds, with frequent aftershocks that have even threatened the nearby demons.

The demons who lived nearby had long been under the oppressive power of Li Xiangyue, and could only dare to be angry but not speak out when faced with the affected cave dwellings.

The demons further away were different. They had been defeated and subdued years ago and behaved themselves for a while. But when they saw that Li Xiangyue no longer cared about them and would just sit and drink tea at the entrance of the abyss, they began to have other ideas and each became their own king.

During this turmoil, the demons learned that Li Xiangyue had been offering up all sorts of spiritual and demonic herbs, accepting whatever came her way. As the quantity increased, the demons became more certain that Li Xiangyue was injured, and seriously so, otherwise, why would someone as powerful as her need so many medicines?

Taking advantage of her illness to kill her has always been a consensus among the demons. On a whim, several restless demons cooperated to attack the Demon Palace, and then they would share Li Xiangyue's cultivation level equally.

The result was naturally that he was utterly defeated by Li Xiangyue, with no chance to put up a fight.

She has only been quiet for a few hundred years, not dead for hundreds of years. It's time to let these restless demons taste what it means to be under the shadow of Xiangyue Jun.

After defeating them, he locked up the demons and then released a blindfolded spiritual cultivator, whom he had brought back to the Demon Palace, for her to practice on until she was exhausted of her spiritual power before leaving.

The imprisoned demon thought it would be better to just die quickly.

They cannot die; they can only endure increasingly fierce attacks each day. When the sun rises over the Demon Realm, it is the time for Lord Xiangyue to open the floodgates and release them.

It's unbelievable that the powerful Demon Race would one day consider human cultivators a threat, considering they used to kill even the demon cultivators next door without hesitation.

Upon seeing the familiar white-clad figure appear in mid-air above, the demons immediately scattered and fled, completely forgetting the plan they had secretly devised the night before while the other demons were away.

"She's coming! Run!"

Adhering to the principle that "it is better for the demon to die than for the demon itself," every demon used all its strength to flee from its original location and do its utmost to escape the attack range.

The cultivation levels of these demons were all suppressed to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage under the effect of the magic array.

It should be noted that every demon is born at the Nascent Soul stage, which is equivalent to turning all demons back to their weakest state. Even at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, they only have a slight ability to protect themselves in the Demon Realm.

Damn formation! How can there be something so anti-demon within it?

This is the first time I've ever found array cultivators so annoying!

If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have come!

Upon closer reflection, however, the mastermind who instigated the other demons to besiege the Demon Palace had already been killed by his own people in the infighting. Now, he couldn't blame anyone, so he could only try his best to escape.

No demon felt that Li Xiangyue's actions were wrong. Demons did not have the concept of surrender; they only died in battle. The fact that they were still alive was unexpected by other demons in the Demon Realm.

At first, everyone was able to split into two groups, one to break through the formation and the other to hold back the white-robed spiritual cultivator's one-sided attack. With the concerted efforts of all the demons, they succeeded once or twice.

But that white-robed spiritual cultivator is also growing at an abnormal speed, and the next time he faces the array of demons, it will only be more mysterious and complex.

This directly stumped the demons, who were only good at brute force. They were completely ignorant of these mysterious runes. In the past, they relied on their cultivation to force their way through, but now that their cultivation was restricted, they directly lost their innate advantage.

What made the demons grit their teeth even more was that the spiritual cultivator's array core was hidden deeper and deeper every day!

It is difficult to replicate a previously successful method.

There are only two ways to completely get out of this predicament: either break the formation or join forces to resist. There is no other way.

Logically speaking, it should be a very simple matter for several peak Nascent Soul stage cultivators to deal with a single peak Nascent Soul stage cultivator. However, her spiritual mansion is not yet able to store a single drop of spiritual power, so she can only rely on the spiritual pearl in her hand.

They were all demons who lived as long as turtles, so even the most obtuse person could see the abnormality in the white-robed spiritual cultivator's body.

Her weaknesses are actually quite obvious, but even the most obvious ones need to be exploited.

Until one day, the demons knocked the spirit pearl out of the white-robed spiritual cultivator's hand, leaving her without the timely replenishment of spiritual power.

The spirit orb that had been knocked out rolled on the ground, and several demons brandished their weapons, blocking her way to retrieve it.

Xi Congshuang was taken aback, and then she became visibly excited, her fighting spirit soaring even higher.

Surrounded by several demons, the white-robed man remained calm: "It seems you've discovered that my spiritual palace is shattered beyond repair, making it impossible to store even a drop of spiritual power to refine into a decent cultivation level."

The demons surrounding her were not pleased at all; they had a feeling that what she was about to say was not good, and they were on guard.

Without her saying a word, magic arrays appeared behind the demons.

"Wasn't the Spirit Pearl already destroyed? How can it still be used to set up an array?"

Or several formations were activated at the same time?

Some demons reacted quickly, charging forward instead of retreating, only to find a mysterious array, outwardly round and inwardly square, unfolding before them, as easily as luring them into a trap.

Faced with their lives threatened, the demons unleashed a powerful will to survive, gritting their teeth and cleaving open.

That's how he survived. The other demon wasn't so lucky; he instinctively retreated and crashed into the array behind him, exploding with a bang.

Another demon died, his body dissipating like quicksand, his demonic energy returning to the chaotic blood pool.

Xi Congshuang proved through her actions that as long as there are enough methods, weaknesses are not always so fatal.

It's true that spiritual energy cannot be stored within the spiritual palace, but that doesn't mean the spiritual veins, which are repeatedly ruptured, lack spiritual energy. They just tend to surge and are not so easy to mobilize.

After one round of formations was resolved, before the demons could even show any joy, countless more formations unfolded around them from all directions.

The demons: "..."

The light from the formation was too bright, yet they felt they couldn't see a bright future, nor could they see Xi Congshuang's increasingly pale face.

After the earth-shattering roar, another figure appeared faintly in the swirling black dust, then became more distinct and fully revealed itself before the demons.

A graceful, ethereal figure emerged, carrying a konghou (a type of Chinese harp). Dressed in pristine white, the figure was immaculate.

She held a blue-green harp in her arms, her slender fingers resting on the strings, as if she were about to play music.

Outside the arena, the onlookers were all surprised: "I heard that most cultivators in the Flying Immortal Palace practice both sound and array techniques. So she does too. Is this konghou her natal spiritual weapon?"

Su Wenxin's expression changed slightly, and she felt a pang of sadness.

I had never even heard Xi Congshuang play the konghou before, but these demons beat me to it.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangyue sensed something was amiss and walked over to peek inside.

Soon, everyone understood why Xi Congshuang had taken out her natal magical artifact.

"We've seen her! Why hasn't she exhausted her spiritual power yet?" A demon cursed as he finally escaped the encirclement of the array from all sides.

Humans are afraid of seeing ghosts, and even demons are afraid of seeing humans.

"When did human cultivators reach the Nascent Soul stage become so powerful?"

"Nascent Soul? Nascent Soul my ass! I'd believe she had two Nascent Souls!"

"I'd believe it even if it meant two or five Nascent Soul cultivators!"

Because a group of demons who came to attack were partly killed by Li Xiangyue, partly spared, and the rest were killed by Xi Congshuang, leaving only five.

In the midst of their hurried conversation, another demon disappeared. It was another demon who, seeing the zither string about to kill them, grabbed the already heavily injured demon beside him and pushed it towards the zither string.

With a twist of a thin string, a red line flashed across the demon's neck, then turned into a pile of quicksand.

It turned out that Xi Congshuang had indeed exhausted most of her spiritual power and was unable to set up an array to pursue and kill without restraint. It was finally time for her to rely on external aids.

Having lost the Spirit Pearl, Xi Congshuang held a konghou in one hand, gently plucking the strings with her delicate hand.

The plucked strings did not produce any music. Instead, they detached from the crescent-shaped body of the harp and flew towards the demons like arrows released from a bow. The strings were both flexible and strong, moving nimbly like snakes amidst the attacks of the demons. One wrong move and you would be bitten hard, causing you to lose strength for a moment.

At that time, the demon race will meet its end.

"Still talking! She's here again, run!"

"She has four Nascent Soul cultivators left."

"What do you mean she only has four Nascent Soul cultivators left? She only has four of us demons left! If I don't avenge this, I'm not fit to be a demon!"

After shouting the slogans, a few demons actually managed to escape.

Xi Congshuang put away her zither strings and stood still without continuing the chase. If the few demons who had escaped returned, they would know that she had exhausted her spiritual energy.

After picking up the spirit pearl from the ground, the spotless white-clad figure disappeared into the formation.

The mastermind behind it all, Xiang Yuejun, finally breathed a sigh of relief and got up to leave as well: "I'll go check on her."

This little demon is quite vengeful; she didn't say anything about the ambush in the teahouse and the refusal to let them leave, but she's kept it in mind ever since.

Afterwards, she kept observing Li Xiangyue during sparring sessions. She couldn't see her, but Li Xiangyue definitely felt like she was being observed.

Red Apple and Li Xiangyue had a lot to talk about regarding this matter.

On one occasion, Xi Congshuang seized an opening, exhausted all her spiritual power in a desperate attack, and actually forced Li Xiangyue to take a step back.

It's hard to believe that Xi Congshuang felt a sense of threat towards her for a moment, and she almost wanted to raise her hand to fight back.

Although in Li Xiangyue's eyes, Xi Congshuang was a weak and pitiful little demon, the feeling of having her weaknesses studied day after day was truly unbearable.

Driven by her demonic instincts, she didn't really want to continue fighting.

Just then, a group of reckless demons delivered themselves to his doorstep, and Li Xiangyue instantly perked up.

However, the number of reckless demons was decreasing, and no more arrogant demons were coming to his door. Li Xiangyue began to worry again.

She couldn't bring herself to harm her own child, but the demon race was, after all, a race that killed each other, and she instinctively resisted the feeling of being observed.

I never told her before how troublesome it is to take care of a child.

*

Demons can regenerate through the Chaos Blood Pool, but those who are arrogant and ignorant cannot be regenerated.

After some persuasion, Xi Congshuang decided to rest for a day, giving the remaining demons ample time to recuperate.

Just as she had guessed, she was different from other cultivators. She would repeatedly drain her spiritual energy and then quickly absorb more spiritual energy to expand her spiritual veins without exploding and dying.

It will only widen its meridians more and more until it catches up with the width it was meant to reach.

In other words, Xi Congshuang has lived in a magic array that restricts spiritual power for many years, which is equivalent to never being full and living to the age of three hundred in a state of malnutrition.

If they don't survive until they reach the Demon Realm and are discovered by the real demons, they'll probably die from malnutrition and exhaustion of their lifespan.

This is also a racial talent of the demon race. Every demon grows up in this way, and their rapid increase in cultivation is achieved by repeatedly opening their meridians.

If you survive this period, your cultivation will advance even more rapidly, progressing by leaps and bounds, until you reach the pinnacle of your cultivation, and then you will be struck down by the Heavenly Dao.

The demon race seems to have all the advantages of timing and location, and is naturally powerful, but no demon has ever ascended to immortality.

They are a race rejected by Heaven, lacking the three souls and six spirits.

The demon race born from the Chaos Blood Pool will always return to the Chaos Blood Pool. If they are struck dead by lightning and disappear into the world, how can a race without a soul be reincarnated?

A woman in a shimmering red dress walked through the demon palace, her eyes reflecting what looked like a waterfall cascading from the sky. She strolled leisurely through the suspended corridors, taking in the sights as if she were just passing through.

Looking at the palace they were about to reach, Li Xiangyue finally understood why the demons didn't like reading. She should have known better than to read in the secret realm, no matter how bored she was.

Understanding this only fuels the demon's resentment, leading him to extremes and a quicker death.

This is because the cultivation level is suppressed day by day by the month of separation.

Even if she were unparalleled in the world and overpowered in the Three Realms once she left the Demon Realm, all her struggles would eventually come to nothing. She might as well take advantage of the present moment to enjoy a few more meals of mortal food.

Having decided that after curing the little demon, Li Xiangyue would ask her to take him and Huaizhen on a culinary adventure across the world before setting off again.

Inside the palace, someone was meditating.

Su Wenxin stood beside her, holding a sword, staring blankly at the ground at her feet.

A moment later, a slight noise came from beside her. Xi Congshuang asked, "Why are you sitting so close? Aren't you afraid I'll freeze you?"

Su Wenxin immediately snapped out of her daze and casually brushed the frost off her shoulder: "I have fire elemental power protecting me, so it's not a big problem."

Seeing her lips, which were even paler than usual today, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her: "Are you still in pain?"

Xi Congshuang: "It's much better now, still within acceptable limits."

This answer only made Su Wenxin feel melancholy. What could Xi Congshuang find unacceptable? She had managed to grit her teeth and persevere through such a difficult recovery method.

Xi Congshuang sensed her mood, raised her hand to stroke Su Wenxin's eyebrows and eyes, her fingertips continued downwards, finally stopping at the side of her face, her warm palm supporting her, and then she felt the touch of her palm being brushed.

It was a little cool and very soft. She tried to make up a rough picture of Su Wenxin's appearance in her mind by feeling it, but she was certain that it would not be as good as seeing it with her own eyes.

Xi Congshuang: "You said before that you hoped I could see you and remember you. After a while, I will be able to do that. It's really okay."

Su Wenxin's gaze lingered: "Is there any way to alleviate this a little?"

"Yes." Xi Congshuang opened her arms. "Let me hug you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a weight in his arms, and he wrapped his arms around her neck, embracing her quietly.

"Where are the demon guards at the gate? Why is no one guarding them...?"

Li Xiangyue, who was about to step in, paused as she pushed the door open, and the two figures on the bed separated.

Xi Congshuang: "Next time, you should knock on the door."

Li Xiangyue quickly admitted her mistake: "Okay." Then she found a place to sit down.

She didn't come suddenly; a demon servant told her that the little demons in the palace were looking for her, so she came.

Xi Congshuang paused and looked up.

Li Xiangyue felt something was off and looked down at herself. She was dressed normally today, and her hair was white...

She conjured a water mirror in her palm and looked at herself in the mirror. She had green eyes and a red mark between her eyebrows.

They are a common type of demon in the game, nothing special about them.

Soon, Xi Congshuang lowered her eyes and said nothing.

Li Xiangyue suddenly asked, "What? Someone broke into your room, and you still won't learn your lesson?"

The red mark between her eyebrows turned even redder, and her smile deepened: "Tell me, who is so reckless?"

Jin Weichun, who had brought the spiritual herbs for her bath today, also asked, "Whom does Your Majesty wish to kill? Your subordinate will do it for you."

"No." Xi Congshuang quickly changed the subject, asking about other things, "Is there any place where a person can hide for hundreds of years without being discovered, and still increase their cultivation level?"

As a powerful demon who resides above the Demon Realm, he should be well-informed and likely have some ideas.

"Yes," Li Xiangyue said decisively, "A lost secret realm."

Everyone present looked at her, and Li Xiangyue explained her reasoning: "I was imprisoned in a secret realm some time ago. It felt like that secret realm had been there for a while, and the text in the ancient books was different from what I have read in recent years."

Jin Weichun asked curiously, "When did Your Majesty visit the secret realm?"

“Four hundred, five hundred… or maybe seven hundred years ago.” Li Xiangyue doesn’t really remember how many years she has lived, just like she doesn’t remember how many dishes she has eaten.

She reached a compromise number when she was over two thousand years old; it sounded strong and not old.

Li Xiangyue: "Anyway, some time ago, I obtained the inheritance from the secret realm and finally got the chance to leave seclusion. Then I went to eat, but who knew that too many years had passed in the human world, and the currency I brought before I mistakenly entered the secret realm had been updated several times. The money I had was no longer usable."

"Back then, the only common mortal currency I had was luminous pearls and gold ingots. Any one of these could buy me ten round trips to the restaurant, so I couldn't bear to give them away."

Looking back, Li Xiangyue found it funny: "At the time, I was thinking that I had to go back to the Demon Realm to take back the territory, so I couldn't run these ten restaurants."

"..." Is this the problem?

If you call her naive, she knows to bring money when she goes out to eat; if you call her hard-working, she understands that the price of a meal can never compare to a luminous pearl or a gold ingot.

A thrifty, single woman.

The reason for mentioning this is that Li Xiangyue smiled slightly: "Then Huaizhen, who was on patrol, found me and paid for my meal, so I didn't have to be mistaken for a tomb raider for taking out my old currency."

Although what happened later was somewhat beyond the demon's expectations, it also led to his connection with Xi Huaizhen.

Tomb raiders...

Xi Congshuang suddenly asked, "How old are you exactly?"

This was a question that Chun had been curious about for a long time. She had only been by the emperor's side for a little over four hundred years. At that time, the emperor was already very powerful, and she already claimed to be two thousand years old.

Not only could she not tell her own age, but the other demons also couldn't tell her exactly how old she was.

Some demons say that Li Xiangyue appeared out of nowhere, while others say that Li Xiangyue is an old turtle that lives as long as heaven and earth.

Whether the latter sentence was simply an insult is currently unverifiable; in fact, no one knows exactly how old she is.

Li Xiangyue almost blurted out the truth: "More than two thousand years old. Alright, little demon, don't be so curious. You should focus on healing your injuries and make sure you recover before I find your mother."

Xi Congshuang looked at her quietly, her similar dark green eyes gazing at her silently, a hint of reproach in her eyes.

The dignified ruler of the Demon Realm, whose own little demon clan is wholeheartedly devoted to the cultivation world and unwilling to fully become a demon and inherit her position, not only dares to look at her with such eyes.

Who else in the world, besides Xi Huaizhen, would dare to do that?

Li Xiangyue hesitated, wanting to scold but stopping herself, and muttered, "Your mother's heart is very bright, there's no need to worry about her safety."

She knew that Xi Congshuang's expression wasn't about that, so she quickly changed the subject and got up to leave.

They couldn't hit him, they couldn't scold him; this little demon would die with a single poke, and if he really died, there would be no way to explain it. Li Xiangyue had no choice but to leave.

"Why is Your Majesty in such a hurry for the young master to recover from her injuries?" Jin Weichun caught up with him.

“You’re so stupid, but you won’t admit it. You finally found Huaizhen, and the first thing you’ll see when you come out of seclusion is that the child has suffered so much because of my demon bloodline. You’ll definitely be heartbroken.” Li Xiangyue’s face softened. “I need to hurry up and heal her before I can face her.”

Jin Weichun: "I thought Your Majesty would really agree to your first condition, only to save my life, not my conduct."

Li Xiangyue thought this was just a delaying tactic: "What a joke. Our demon race is far stronger than the brainless demon race. I'll ask her a few more questions to make sure she can handle it. When the time comes, I will still take action."

She said, still somewhat pleased, "Luckily, she chose the second option; it made things much easier."

Jin Weichun suddenly realized: "So that's how it is! Your Majesty is truly farsighted!"

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If a great demon has been around a little demon since childhood, he would definitely brainwash the snowflakes from a young age: as long as a woman looks like an adult, she is assumed to be eighteen years old, and no other questions should be asked.